Dengue fever rages across Asia

Dengue fever rages across Asia

news.yahoo.com

HANOI, Vietnam - Dengue fever is raging across Asia, prompting the World Health Organization to warn that the region could face the worst outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus in nearly a decade.

ADVERTISEMENT

The disease, commonly called the 'bone breaker' illness because of the excruciating joint pain it causes, has flared everywhere from ultramodern Singapore to poor Vietnam. There are four different types of dengue, but none have a cure or vaccine.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I was talking to one of our ID (Infectious disease) guys at work and he thinks that based on information from other ID guys he knows there that this could become a huge out break. What is worrysome is that even countries with modern health care systems (like Singapore) are getting hit. We have seen how West Nile can spread. This one has the potential to do the same.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Strange or not but the WHO site is not even mentioning this outbreak - still covering Avian Flu and an outbreak of Poliomyetis but no mention of anything Dengue related.

www.who.int...

I live in Asia and it's the first time I have heard of it. It is the peak of the wet season always a time to be more careful. Usual fearmongering in my opinion. Having lived through the SARS and the Bird Flu "terror" whilst living in Asia, I guess I will survive this one too.

www.abs-cbnnews.com...
More Dengue outbreaks . here but no mention of rapid test kits used , only the long waits in suffering .
Some info on test kits ..
A new dengue diagnostic kit has been launched in Singapore that enables doctors to detect the virus before the patient reaches the acute stage.
Called the Platelia Dengue Antigen Assay, the new test kit aims to help doctors diagnose dengue fever during the first five days of the disease.

Current dengue screening relies on the detection of specific dengue-virus antibodies, which are only produced four to six days upon initial symptoms.

But with the new kit, earlier detection is possible as it tests for a certain dengue-virus antigen (NS1 dengue-virus antigen) in the patient instead of the antibodies and the results are available in one day.
www.channelnewsasia.com...